Dark Night
by Antonio and Chie
Summary: In seems like another average day for Roy Mustang. Paperwork, complaints from his subordiantes, etc. But when he gets a strange yet urgent request from a local village, Roy will realize to fear the darkness of the night...
1. A Message

**Full Metal Alchemist: Dark Night **

By Tansho S. Erizawa & Chie Shidara

Chapter 1: Central Command, 06:00 hours.

The halls of Central were a bust of activity as usual. People walked from room to room, office to office, and floor to floor. The day was as ordinary as ever. In the phone room, lines were transferred, calls were made, conversations ended, while many more activities unfolded.

Amongst the seemingly chaotic daily life of the citizen soldiers of Central, a single man, a colonel, walked down the hall.

His name was Roy Mustang, also well known as the Flame Alchemist. He had decided to take a brake from his mounds of paper work and talk a short walk.

"Are you going somewhere Colonel?" said a voice from behind him.

Roy turned and stood face to face with his subordinate 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. He smiled at her with his usual smirk and explained himself.

"Well it seems you caught me Lieutenant," he replied coolly, "I was just going for a walk."

"Don't you have work to do sir?" she responded back.

Roy laughed softly. "Well, yes, but I need a break every now and then."

He turned to leave and took one last glance at his subordinate. "I won't be long. Just try and stem the flow of papers until I'm back."

As he walked away Riza sighed and headed back to Roy's office. As she was walking however she noticed a commotion around the newsroom. She walked over and saw that everyone was reading the newly arrived papers.

"Did you hear? There's been another kidnapping!"

"I heard it's connected to the serial killer who drains a person dry of blood."

"Eww… like some sort of vampire?"

"That's what I heard."

Riza almost laughed at the thought. 'Vampires'? Honestly, the Colonel would have started an argument if he heard something as ridiculous this.

Then she noticed the rumor spreader was none other than Cain Fury, one of her fellow subordinates who worked under Roy Mustang. Upon further notice, she spotted Breda and Havoc, more fellow subordinates.

Taking one last glance, she walked away. She had work to do and she needed to be ready for the Colonel's return. Meanwhile, walking out of the main entrance was the man in question.

Roy walked down the streets of Central, which was as busy and alive as the halls of the Command Centre. As he continued walking people passed by him without a care, they being quite used to seeing military figures of his rank and stature.

However as he turned a corner, he bumped into a short standing man dressed in shawls and tattered clothing. Apologizing, he helped the man up who appeared quite startled.

"Y-ye mustn't roam these streets alone kind s-sir," he said quite shakily. "Th-these be dangerous times…"

"Dangerous times?" questioned Roy, "What do you mean?"

"Just be warned… do not venture out at night, lest ye want to be taken…"

With those last words, he left, leaving Roy with many questions. Instead of perusing the mysterious man, he decided to head back to headquarters.

"'Dangerous times'? What was he talking about?" Roy asked himself as he walked up the steps of Central Command.

It was true that there has been a rash outbreak of disappearances and mysterious deaths, but to say that he, the legendary Flame Alchemist, was in trouble, now that was new! He didn't believe that he was in trouble. Why would he after all?

As he walked down the hallway, he ran into Breda and Fury who both looked rather scared.

"Colonel! It happened again!" yelled Fury who held a paper in his hands.

"Another attack?" asked Roy.

"Not really," replied Breda, "it's another kidnapping."

Yet another kidnapping which meant that it was the 6th in the last month. Add that to the 6 deaths and the 6 missing people and… This thought cast and eerie sensation on Roy.

"Sir, you realize what this makes right?" asked Fury.

"6 kidnappings, 6 missing people, 6 deaths…" said Roy as he calculated the numbers, "666."

What did this mean? Was this some sort of sign or some madman's sick idea of scaring the people?

"Sir, I think I know what's causing this," said Breda as he walked closer to the Colonel. "I think... it's… it's…"

He paused and Roy grew angry.

"Well spit it out!"

"Vampires!" yelled both soldiers.

Col. Mustang sighed and shook his head. "Don't tell me… that this is the best idea that you could come up with?!" he yelled angrily.

"B-but sir!"

"Enough," said Roy trying to calm himself down. "Listen; think this through for a second. You're sounding as scared as you did with the whole Warehouse 13 incident!"

The two soldiers looked at each other and sighed, defeated.

"Yes sir."

Their senior officer walked away and the two headed back to their office. Roy couldn't believe his two subordinates, always scared about such superstitious nonsense.

When he walked into his office, he found Lt. Hawkeye waiting for him. She had a report in her hands and Roy had a feeling that he already knew what it was about.

"Colonel, you're back soon," said Riza turning to face him.

"Yes, well… the walk wasn't very relaxing," he replied heading to his chair. "I trust you have something new for me."

"Yes sir." She handed him the report. "We have been given a distress call from a neighboring town. They are asking for military help, but gave a specific request."

"Request? What kind of request?"

"They are asking with someone, namely and alchemist, specializing with fire."

Roy gave a small chuckle. "So they asked for the Flame Alchemist then… well they came to the right person."

"Colonel, sir," said Riza, "due to regulations, we can only send one military representative to scout out the operation."

"Well, I'll give a report as soon as I'm done," said Roy. "When do I leave for the mission?"

Riza sighed. "In one hour, sir."

"One hour?!" yelled Roy jumping up from his chair. "Why haven't they informed me earlier of this?"

"Well the report just came in," she replied calmly.

The Flame Alchemist slumped back down in his chair. "Alright, I'll be ready to leave Lt. Hawkeye."

"Yes Colonel," said Riza saluting him.

She walked out of the office. The mission's parameters classified that only Roy could begin the assignment. If he were not to report within two hours of starting the mission they were to send in backup.

Normally Riza accompanied Roy on any mission he took, but this time, she had to stay behind. This worried Lt. Hawkeye. If anything were to happen to him, she wouldn't be there to help. She saw Roy, who was wearing his black overcoat and cap, heading out of his office.

"Good luck with the mission, Colonel." She said quickly.

Roy gave a smirk. "Don't worry Lieutenant, I can handle this."

With that last remark he headed out of Central Command and to a waiting car. His only aide on the mission was a pair of lightly armed escorts, who were his drivers for this mission.

He walked towards the car and the escorts saluted him. Climbing in, he wondered why the help request specified someone greatly skilled with fire. Also, was this incident connected with the murder and kidnapping cases? And when he put the totals together, it came up as the numbers 666, signifying the devil's number. What could this all mean? He was jarred from his thoughts when he felt the car begin the move.

"We'll be arriving there soon Colonel Mustang sir," said one of the drivers.

He nodded and looked out the window. The sun was setting slowly, casting shadows over the buildings of Central. He remembered that the man from earlier said not to go out at night, but he chose not to listen.

After all, what's the worst that could happen at night?

Suddenly the words of his subordinates Fury and Breda came into his head. He sighed lo himself and kept thinking. 'There are no such things as vampires. It's all just a bunch of superstitious nonsense."

The car soon left the city limits and Roy saw the tree line of the forest that lay outside of the city. Tree by tree passed by like a statue, no leaves showing movement as the wind was faint and almost nonexistent.

"Where are we going exactly?" asked Roy to one of the drivers.

"A small village not far from here called Rein."

"Do you have any knowledge as to why they would request such help?"

The driver shrugged. "No sir, all I know is that they are a very superstitious people."

Roy sighed and leaned back in his seat, it's just as he feared. They probably summoned him hearing about the murders and rumors around them, thinking it was vampires.

The car hit a bump as it moved off the main road. It seemed the village wasn't to far now, as Roy saw lights in the distance.

Soon, he thought, he'd be able to sort this whole vampire nonsense out and get back to his office. He'd take paperwork over superstitious wild goose chases any day.

They approached a sign, it read: "Town of Rein". What Roy noticed was strange was the population. It looked as though it had been changed recently. He took no extra thought of it though, and leaned back in his seat.

He was unaware that the whole trip, he was being watched by a single hooded figure in the trees; its red eyes glinting in the encroaching moonlight…

-To be continued… -


	2. Dreary Rein

Chapter 2: Town of Rein, 07:20 hours.

The car pulled to a stop near the entrance to the town. It was a small village like town with many houses and shops, mostly made of wood. The ground was paved, making a path that lead through the center of Rein. The driver turned off the engine and turned back to Roy.

"This is where we stop sir."

Roy nodded and stepped out. He straightened his overcoat and fixed his cap. He had to make a good impression for the townspeople. As he walked into the town, people looked out the windows of the houses and buildings in curiosity, yet not coming out to meet him. Finally, a handful of people came forward to talk to him.

"Are you the help that we have asked for?" said a tall man dressed in old style clothing.

"Yes, I am Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist," he replied with a nod.

There were murmurs and the people all looked at him.

"Then you must help us!"

"Yes, we are plagued by vampires!"

"They have killed 19 of us so far!"

The Colonel sighed. He knew it… more superstitious nonsense. But, he didn't want to be rude to them by saying they were being ridiculous.

"Alright, alright, settle down. Look, do you have any evidence it was vampires that did this?"

The people all looked at each other with uneasy looks.

"Well… we dispose of the corpses quickly, lest we wait and allow them to become vampires as well," said one of the villagers.

Roy sighed. "So, you destroyed any evidence that it _was_ vampires that attacked?"

The villagers all nodded. This only made Roy's job harder. Now he not only had to convince the village folk that it wasn't vampires, but he also had to start from scratch.

"Alright, then when do the attacks usually occur?" he asked, hoping that it may start some leads.

Suddenly the people became very edgy and panicky.

"Night," shouted a freighted woman, "they always strike at night!"

Roy looked at the sky and noticed that the sun had set. It wouldn't be much time then if the killers were to strike. So, he started to devise a plan.

"Okay everyone; I need your cooperation with this…"

--- 08:45 hours ---

Time seemed to go by hours a minute. He had managed to coerce a villager into becoming bait for the killer and told them to act as casually as usual. Roy waited inside a nearby shed, his fingers ready to unleash a burst of fire on the suspect with a single snap.

The flame alchemist began to grow weary from waiting. It had to have been over an hour by now and still nothing. He was about to call it off when the woman he used for bait shrieked in terror.

Roy turned and saw she had fallen back and was crawling away from someone, who was looming closer. Not hesitating he burst from the shed and snapped his fingers. Crimson color sparks flew from his gloves and channeled into the air, creating a blast of fire in front of the person, startling him and sending him back.

The Colonel ran in front of the woman and ordered her to flee. She didn't think a second thought and hurried away as fast as she could. Roy then turned his attention to the person he had shot the fire at.

"Who are you and why are you attacking this village?"

The person chuckled darkly, in an almost in human way. For some reason, the sound sent a shiver up Roy's spine, as if he had made a terrible mistake.

Every sense in his body felt as though it had run cold. Roy's mind seemed to scream at him to run, but why? What was this feeling he had? He scarcely recognized it, but had long forgotten it.

It was fear.

"And what business would it be to you, Colonel Mustang?" the person said in a dark voice.

Roy gasped and looked at the person, focusing him more clearly. He recognized the voice but couldn't believe the face.

"L-Lt. Col. Archer?!" he yelled in disbelief.

The Lt. Colonel boldly looked up at Roy; his eyes were cold and strangely held a tint of deep red. His skin, which normally was pale, was bleached whiter than Roy's under shirt. But what struck the Colonel as most bizarre, was the Lt. Colonel's grin. His canine teeth were long and sharp, sticking out of his mouth as fangs.

"Is there something you want Colonel?" Archer asked, keeping his same cold demeanor.

The man in question looked up at Archer, his gaze a little startled, but hardly noticeable. He, Roy Mustang, and esteemed Colonel in the State Military, could not show any fear. This was an emotion that had to be ignored or discarded when it came to a man of his caliber. And yet… he couldn't shake this terrible feeling he was getting.

"Lt. Col. Frank Archer," he said in a stern voice, "Are you the one responsible for the attack and deaths of the villagers in this town?"

"And if I am?" he replied coolly.

Roy's anger suddenly flared up. "Tell me, why did you do this?!"

Archer hesitated with his answer, but this wasn't what made Roy mad. What made him furious was the fact that Archer was smiling.

"If you must know Colonel, my minions and I were just harvesting some fresh victims for the upcoming battle…"

"Victims?!" yelled Roy in disbelief, "What are you talking about? And what battle?!"

Archer just laughed darkly, sending another chill down Roy's spine. All of a sudden, he felt the presence of others around him. He looked around, but before he could even move, three figures jumped from the shadows and grabbed him, holding his arms and legs so he couldn't get away.

"What is the meaning of this?!" yelled Roy.

"I'm sorry Colonel… but now that you've found out our secret, I'm afraid I can't let you live to tell others," replied Archer in a sinister tone.

He walked closer to Roy, his fangs appearing to grow. The Colonel tried his best to get free, but he couldn't. Then he realized his ignition gloves were still on. He looked at Archer and a smirk came on his face.

"You should have known it would take more than this to keep me down Archer."

He snapped his fingers and an explosion of fire blew the beings holding him and the approaching Archer back. Seizing the opportunity, he ran. He ran fast, his heart beating loudly in his chest, the sound of his blood pounding in his ears.

He knew it now, this was definitely fear he was experiencing. The adrenaline pumping through him, making him gain speed, the dark sensations running through his body, he knew all too well that it was fear.

As he ran, he heard the figures get up and give pursuit. He didn't dare look back, but he felt as though they were closing in on him. Soon he reached his car, but found it empty. The drivers were missing…

As he was contemplating where they might have gone, something grabbed his ankle. He looked down and his eyes widened. It was one of the drivers, but his face and hands looked wrinkled and dry, as if his blood had been drained from his body.

"C-colonel… run…." The driver said in a cold raspy voice.

He shook loose and ran inside the car. He slammed the door shut and tried to start it, but the engine wouldn't turnover.

"Come on… come on you piece of junk…" he growled in anger, turning the key again and again.

"It won't start Colonel Mustang," came a voice form behind his seat.

An arm grabbed him from behind and held him in a chokehold. He tried prying himself free, but he couldn't. His breathing was becoming shallow and he could hardly see straight.

Suddenly he heard gunshots ring out in front him. Almost a spilt second later, the shots blasted through the window, zinged over his head, and he soon heard them make contact with the being behind him.

As the being fell back and let him go, Roy kicked the door open and rolled out of the car. He looked in front of him, trying to focus on where the shots exactly came from and saw a soldier running towards him, a female soldier.

"Colonel Mustang!" she shouted, her pistol still aimed and ready as she ran.

"Lt. Hawkeye!" he shouted back, sounding almost relieved. He ran up to her and turned around. The being in the car had mysteriously vanished.

"Sir, are you alright?" Riza asked.

Roy nodded slowly. "I'm fine… but I'd like to now what exactly is going on around here."

He heard a sound behind him and quickly turned around only to come face-to-face with his two subordinates Fury and Breda.

"W-we told you s-sir…" Breda said shaking, "V-v-vampires!"

He, Colonel Roy Mustang, the legendary Flame Alchemist, had no answer. In all his years of service, he had never experienced something such as this. He merely sighed and stepped past them.

"I assume you followed through with protocol?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," replied Riza, "You didn't report back in so we came out here looking for you."

"We almost thought you got attacked!" yelled Fury.

"Well technically I _was_ attacked," Roy replied solemnly, "But it's over now. I need to get back to headquarters immediately."

As the four walked, they soon came to a large black military car. Patrolling around the car, rifle close in hand was Lt. Havoc. His hands were shaky and he kept scanning the forest, the slightest sound making him jump.

"Okay… calm Jean… calm…" he kept muttering to himself, "there's no such thing as vampires… no such thing…"

There was a rustle in the bushes behind him and he shot into it three times before realizing it was just a squirrel. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Heh… it... it's just a squirrel…"

Chuckling nervously, Havoc waved at the Colonel when he saw him approach, but just as he did, a figure swooped in from the trees and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the darkness.

"NOOO!!!!" he screamed, the sound of his rifle going off ringing through the night.

"Havoc!" the other four yelled as they ran toward the truck.

Riza ran up and aimed into the forest, scanning the trees for even the slightest movement. She saw nothing in the darkness, but the dim light of the moon as it shined through the trees.

"He's gone… sir," Riza said slowly to Roy, disbelief in her voice.

"G-gone?!" yelled Fury.

"But… he can't be gone!" piped in Breda, his voice heavy with fear.

Roy again was speechless. He had seen soldiers lost in combat during the Ishbal war, but nothing like this… this was all too strange to him… it all just felt so… surreal.

"We need to report back to head quarters now," Roy repeated, trying to regain his composure. He opened the door of the car and got in, Riza entering the driver's side and Breda and Fury getting in the back.

Riza started the car and began to drive away. Roy looked out the window at the trees as they passed by, recalling the events that not so long ago, left him feeling more terrified than he had ever been.

However, as tree by tree passed by, he saw shapes following them through the forest. Fury, upon looking out the window, noticed this as well and immediately panicked.

"S-something's ch-chasing us!" he screamed in terror.

Breda looked out the back window and saw three flying figures giving chase to the speeding car, and gaining on them fast. Strangely, the Lieutenant didn't feel any fear. He instead felt anger. These "things" took away his friend, and now he was out for revenge. Grabbing his rifle he broke out the back window and aimed at the figures.

"This is for Havoc!" he yelled as he opened fire on them.

The bullets reached their targets and the creatures howled in pain. Roy shouted at Breda to stop, but his shouts were blocked out by the sound of each gunshot. Finally, the creatures broke off and Breda ceased firing.

"Heh," he laughed nervously, "I… I did it… Hey guys I did it!"

As he turned around though, something grabbed him by his collar and pulled him out the rear window.

"Lt. Breda!" yelled Roy in shock.

"Take the wheel sir!" shouted Riza as she leaned out the window, pistol in hand.

Roy grabbed the steering wheel as Riza opened fire on the creature that took Breda. However, it and Breda soon disappeared into the darkness. Riza lowered her pistol and sat back down in the drivers seat.

"Don't… don't tell me he's…" started Fury, but he was unable to finish due to the shock.

Roy lowered his gaze. Two of his most trusted officers just went MIA and now an unknown number of flying "creatures", all seeming to be vampires, are possibly pursuing him.

As Riza kept driving, she noticed someone in the middle of the road. It looked like man in military clothing pointing a pistol right at them. She swerved to avoid him, but as she did the car swerved out of control and went off the road and down a hill.

Roy braced himself, but slammed his head forward as the car made contact with a tree. Dazed, the last thing Roy remembered was the smell of gasoline and smoke, and a strange feeling like he was moving. A few seconds later, the car exploded, sending scraps of hot metal soaring through the air.

The military officer who stood in the road calmly walked over to the side of the road and gazed down at the burning wreckage. The light from the fire revealed him to be none other than Archer himself.

"It's a shame," he said as two other vampires joined him, "Colonel Mustang would have made a fine addition to our cause…"

With these last words, he and the others disappeared into the night…

-To Be Continued… -


	3. Chaos Unleashed

Chapter 3 - Outskirts of Rein, ??:?? hours 

Roy woke up with an uneasy headache. The sky was dark, possibly still nighttime. The Colonel looked around but his eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness around him, making him disoriented. He heard a voice call his name, but he couldn't make it out at first. Yet, it sounded familiar.

"Colonel Mustang? Roy!"

At the announcement of his name he looked towards the person shouting at him. It was his subordinate, Riza Hawkeye. The situation must be serious for her to address him by his first name.

That's when it struck him. The vampires! He tried standing, but woozily fell back down.

Riza ran over to him. "Please sir, you have to stay down. You hit your head very hard. You might have a slight concussion."

"I'm fine Lieutenant," he replied gruffly.

He noticed something moving under a tree near them and recognized its shape. It was Staff Sergeant Cain Fury, his other subordinate and the only other survivor from this "rescue" operation gone wrong.

"Fury, are you alright?" he said calmly.

The Staff Sgt. hesitated in his reply. He was trembling with fear, having not so long ago witnessed his two best friends carried away by vampires.

"I… I'm o-okay…s-sir…" he replied back, his voice evidence of his palpable fear.

Riza walked over to Fury and slapped him across the face, disorienting the young soldier.

"Get a hold of yourself!" she yelled at him, "You are a soldier in the State Military, and you cannot show fear! If you grow scared of your mission, you might not survive it. You must conquer your fear!"

"She's right Fury," agreed Roy, "As your commanding officer, I order you to surpass this unbridled fear of what has happened immediately."

"B-but sir, aren't you scared too?" replied Fury.

Roy sighed. "We all are… but we must be brave. As a soldier, you hardly have a chance to express fear. Show it on the battlefield, and you'll wind up dead."

Fury tried calming himself after the Colonel's words and out of the thought that Riza might slap him again. He grabbed his rifle and held it close. He had to be brave. He just had to.

Colonel Mustang stood and observed his surroundings. The forest had no light except from the smoldering wreckage of the military car soft glow of the moon. He wondered how he escaped the car, but then remembered the moving sensation from when he passed out.

"Lt. Hawkeye, did anyone move me out of the car before it exploded," Roy asked.

"Yes sir, I managed to pull you out at the last second before the car exploded," she replied.

Looking back at the Lieutenant, Roy thanked her and tried coming up with a new plan of action. Who knows how long he was out and he wasn't sure if there might still be vampires around them.

He still didn't want to believe it. The fact that vampires actually existed seemed impossible, but at the moment, they seemed as real as ever.

"Sir, we should head back to Central," said Riza, "We need to warn headquarters."

Roy nodded in agreement. If anything, headquarters definitely needed information about this, even if they refused to believe them, they had to be warned.

Riza stood and helped up Roy. Both of them then walked over to Fury who shakily got to his feet. The three of them then climbed up the side of the hill they fell from and back onto the road. As they did, they walked the entire three mile distance back to Central.

-Central City, ??:?? hours

The weary trio finally approached Central, or so they thought. When they approached the city, they noticed that it wasn't as noisy as it normally would have been. True, it was nighttime, but even then there would have been lights and the sound of cars driving through the streets. When they came into the city… they came to startling realization.

The entire city was deserted.

Wrecked and abandoned cars half littered the abandoned streets, the lamp posts were only partially lit, and the area appeared like a war zone, with bullet holes and blood scattered almost everywhere.

Fury's jaw dropped at the sight. "Sir… what... what happened?"

Roy tried his best to come up with an explanation but couldn't. Was it really possible that the vampires from before did this? But how? There were only four of them… and yet, they did manage to take two of his subordinates and waive off bullets as if they were pebbles.

The Colonel was jolted from his thoughts when he heard a young girl's scream. He looked around and saw a familiar little girl running out of an alley.

Riza recognized the young girl. "Sir, that's Elicia Hughes!"

Stunned, the three ran to help the girl who they soon saw was being chased by a couple of vampires. Riza drew her pistol immediately and Roy readied to snap his fingers.

Elicia ran towards her saviors and jumped on Fury, knocking him over. Seeing she was safe, the other two started their attack on the vampires. Riza fired two shoots, one each, into the heads of the creatures and Roy set them ablaze soon after.

When the burnt corpses fell to the ground, the two still remained alert. It seemed that the combination off headshots and fire killed the vampires… or so they hoped. They looked into the alley and saw no movement and they were about to relax when they heard a scream.

"No, what're you… GAH!"

Fury was on the ground trying to pull of Elicia who, revealing herself to be a vampire, was currently in the act of biting his neck and draining his blood.

Horrified, Roy ran over to them and tried to pry Elicia off, only to cause more blood the spill from Fury. He stopped when a gunshot rang out and caused Elicia to release her grip. She fell back on the ground, a bullet wound visible on her forehead.

Roy turned and looked at Riza who appeared horrified at her judgment to kill the young girl. She kept a firm grip on her pistol, but the look on her face showed that she didn't want to hold it. For the first time in her career, a gun didn't feel comfortable in her hands.

She looked to the left at Fury who lay motionless on the ground, blood pooled around the large wound in his neck. He was dead.

Riza slowly walked forward and Roy stood up. His gaze was towards the ground and his bangs hid his features. His best friend's daughter… was dead… and… He tried not to think hard on it.

It wasn't Elicia, she was gone. The kind little girl who cared so much about her daddy died when she became one of them.

"Colonel? Sir?" said Riza softly, unsure of how he was feeling.

"Hawkeye… let's go…" he said.

Both silently left, leaving the two corpses behind. They were headed to Central command, and hopefully, help.

When they approached it, they saw a building in worse shape than the city itself. The front doors were destroyed, as if blown apart, and more bullet holes and blood littered the ground and scarred the walls. They walked in and saw more of the same.

However, the one thing that scared them was the fact that there were no bodies to be found anywhere. In fact, there were signs of bodies being dragged across the ground. The trails disappeared, leaving horrible thoughts to the imagination as to where they might have gone.

Soon the two made their way to Roy's office. Considering the condition of Central, the room was relatively clean. There were papers scattered about Roy's desk and the drawers were gone.

'It's seems someone was looking for something," said Roy as he walked towards his desk.

Suddenly a noise came from the closet and the two went on alert. Riza motioned for Mustang to open the door while she had her gun fixed on whatever may lay inside. As Roy's hand slowly gripped the door knob, Riza raised her gun. He threw the door open and out stumbled a scared, and shaking Vato Falman.

"Please! D-don't hurt me!" he shouted as he covered his head in fear.

Riza holstered her weapon and Roy kneeled next to the scared Warrant Officer.

"Officer Falman, it's us," he said calmly.

He looked up at the familiar faces and studied them hard. He noticed the lack of fangs and pale skin and soon regained his composure.

"O-oh… It's just you Col. Mustang," he said standing shakily to his feet. He had his pistol in his hand, but it was loosely gripped.

"What happened here?" asked Roy.

Falman shook as unpleasant memories came back to him. "We… we were attacked… sir"

"By what?"

"I… I don't know. From what the men were saying, and from what I saw… They looked like vampires."

Roy gave Riza a look and she nodded. Their fears were confirmed. The situation had just turned from seriously bad, to a disaster. Before Falman could explain more, an explosion echoed outside in the halls. Riza quickly withdrew her weapon and scanned the hallway. She saw no movement expect some rubble. Roy and Falman soon came to the doorway as she confirmed the coast was clear.

"We should be careful Colonel," said Falman, "Not only were the vampires attacking, but the traitors as well."

"Traitors?" asked Riza.

He nodded. "It seems that we had some soldiers in the military that betrayed us. They were either themselves vampires, or humans helping the attack."

Both Mustang and Riza looked at each other again after this. Both were unaware of such a threat inside the military.

"We need to find a way to signal for help," said Roy as he slowly walked into the hall.

"Oh… I don't think that'll be possible Colonel," said a sinister voice to their left.

They all faced that direction and saw a familiar face staring at them down the hall. His pale face gleamed in the moonlight cast out from the window and his long black hair, tied in a ponytail, drifted over his shoulder. His hands were in his pockets and he had a wicked smile on his face.

Riza eyes widened. "Lt. Kimbley?"

The former Crimson alchemist chuckled. "Not quite Hawkeye… True, I am Zolf J. Kimbley, but I am a Brigadier General now."

"You… you're supposed to be dead!" yelled Falman.

Roy was thinking the same thing, yet when all three looked at him, they saw him as alive… or so they thought. As Kimbley smiled, his fangs gleamed in the moonlight.

He was one of them.

"Shoot him!" yelled Roy, and Riza opened fire. Shocking the three, Kimbley evaded all five shots Riza fired at him.

"Is that the best you got Lieutenant?" he joked, "Well then, let me show you mine."

He slapped his hands together and placed them against the blood stained wall. The minerals in the dried blood reacted with his alchemy and blew growing a fissure that shot towards the trio.

They ran to their right heading down the long hallway, but the fissure followed them. The whole corridor seemed to lose stability as the ceiling started to cave in. Riza spotted a door and the three rushed inside, narrowly missing the collapsing ceiling.

"Th-that was close," gasped Falman as he fell to his knees.

"Who's there?!" shouted a voice from behind them.

The trio turned around and came face to face with a posed and ready Major Armstrong. His shirt was gone, as it mostly was, and he was in a position to strike. Bruises and cuts were visible along his muscular body, evidence he put up a spectacular fight.

"Stand down Armstrong," said Roy firmly and stepping forward, "We're not you're enemy."

The Major still was still poised to strike. "How do I know you're not one of them?"

"Because, if I was with them," replied Roy with a hint of his wit. "I would have burnt you to a crisp by now, Major."

Armstrong lowered his fists and laughed. "Yes, you are indeed the same Roy Mustang I know."

Riza stepped forward finally realizing where they were.

"Sir, we've reached our destination," she said looking around.

Roy and Falman also looked around and took notice to the fact that the room they were standing in was the radio room. Lined up in rows were phones and radios, designed to communicate, signal, or alert other people in the military or within the entire country if need be.

"If you came to use the radios, I'm afraid you're out of luck," said Armstrong sadly.

"Why do you say that?" asked Falman.

"Those… creatures, cut all the phone lines except one. And it's a one-way emergency line, used to call for reinforcements from forces outside of Central."

Riza, Falman, and Roy were all stunned at this. The emergency line was hardly of any use when needing to call _out_ of Central. Once again, the bleak situation became even worse.

"There's, something else you need to know Roy," said Armstrong. He motioned to a list lying near the main radio.

Mustang walked over and picked up the list. On it were the names of State Alchemists, just about every one currently enlisted in the military, and some of the names were either check-marked or scratched out.

"Major, what does this mean?" questioned Roy with an alarmed look.

"It means that these creatures are targeting State Alchemists," he replied with a heavy tone.

On the list, out of the twenty-two state alchemists enlisted, only eight remained. But what caught Roy's eyes, was his name, which was crossed-out.

"They think I'm dead," said Roy.

"So did I," replied the Major, "That's why when I saw you, I thought you might have been one of them."

Looking over the list again, he read off the names of the remaining alchemists.

"The Reaver, Sword, Stone Fist, Shield, Healing, Graceful, Full Metal, and Iron Cross Alchemists"

All felt a wash of relief in seeing that Edward Elric, the young Full Metal Alchemist, was still alive. However, this didn't change the mood for long. Most of the alchemists listed that were crossed out, Roy presumed, were dead, while the checked off ones were those who became "one of them".

Riza stood next to Roy and read over his shoulder. She noticed that as few of the checked off ones there were, there was still quite a lot. Also upon looking at the list, she noticed Kimbley's name. The Crimson Alchemist was checked off, meaning he truly was one of the creatures.

Before the four could discuss the matter any further, a ruckus erupted from the hall. The sound of a sword clanging along with ear-piercing cries and wails echoed along the hall. A few seconds later, the door flew open, and in ran in a disheveled soldier carrying a long sword in his hands.

He had a variety of knives and weapons on his body and a broadsword strapped on his back. He looked wildly around at the group and readied his sword.

"So, more of you huh?" he shouted, "Well bring it on then!"

"Stand down soldier!" yelled Mustang.

The soldier took a long hard look at Roy and lowered his sword.

"So you're not vampires huh? Well… that's a relief."

Roy was about to question him when he noticed a transmutation circle on the hilt of his sword. When he touched it, the sword shrunk down into a long-handled knife, which he put in its holder.

"Are you the Sword Alchemist Jericho Stars?" asked Armstrong.

The soldier looked up at the Major. "Yeah… and what of it?"

"Well for one, we could use your assistance right about now," said Roy.

Jericho looked at Roy like he was about to refuse, but noticed the ranking symbols on his chest. He snorted and looked up at him. "Is that an order _Colonel_?"

Mustang looked at Jericho with a hint of surprise. He noticed how cocky Jericho was being in such a drastic situation. Reading the ranking symbols on his chest he discovered he was a first Lieutenant, meaning Roy outranked him.

"Not entirely Lt. Stars," he replied back, "We just need some help getting out of this hellhole."

"Well I want out too," said Jericho crossing his arm, "I need to find my brother."

"Your brother?" said Riza in surprise.

"Yeah, Second Lieutenant Calypso Stars, the Shield Alchemist."

Armstrong and Roy both looked at him. Roy now remembered where he had heard those names before, Jericho and Calypso Stars, the "Sword and Shield Brothers". Besides Edward and Alphonse Elric, they were the only brother alchemists Roy knew about.

"Is he somewhere in the headquarters?" asked Armstrong.

"I think so… he-," Jericho was cut off when a Morse-code signal came from the emergency line.

Falman rushed over and listened to the signals. He translated the many dots and dashes onto paper and his eyes widened at the message.

"What is it Falman?" asked Riza.

"It's Ed Elric!" he shouted, "He's in danger!"

The five were silent for a moment as Falman looked over what he wrote down.

"To anyone listening to this damned thing –stop - This is the Full Metal Alchemist Edward Elric – stop – I am trapped in Risembool – stop – My brother and I need help – stop –."

"Yep, that's Ed alright," joked Roy recognizing the tone of his message.

"Sir, how will we get to Risembool from here?" asked Riza.

"There should be a secret passage in this room," said Falman walking around the desks. He crawled down near one in the far corner and found what he was looking for: a trapdoor. "Found it!"

"Good, we can use it to secretly escape out of Central and assist the Elric brothers," said Armstrong moving towards the newly discovered exit.

"I'll go in to see if it's safe" said Falman drawing his pistol again. He slowly opened the trapdoor and poked his head down.

As soon as he did, three hands reached up and grabbed him, pulling him into the secret passage. The trapdoor closed as the last thing heard was his screams. Riza was about to run to the trapdoor when Roy stopped her.

"It's too late Lt. Hawkeye…" he said with a grave voice.

Jericho, who had witnessed the whole thing, was backing towards the door. "Hey, I'm uh… I'm gonna go find my brother…"

He ran out the main door, but two seconds later ran back and slammed it closed, bracing himself against it.

"On second thought, he can handle himself… right?"

The vampires outside the door pounded and slammed against it, attempting to gain entrance to the terrified victims inside. Armstrong slammed his fist to the ground and a stone wall blocked the door.

"That won't hold them off for long," he said standing straight again. "Kimbley has become one of them… and I'm sure he'd blast through the wall in seconds."

Before more could be said, Jericho stepped to the farthest side of the room, staring at the window with an eager look. Roy noticed and watched him.

"So… you're saying we're all gonna die, huh?" He asked Armstrong. When he didn't answer, Jericho finished. "Well… if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die in style!"

And with that he charged forward and jumped out the window. Armstrong reacted quickly and slammed his fist once more into the ground, this time creating a giant stone hand to catch the suicidal Jericho.

When he fell, he landed face first into the palm of the giant stone hand, dazing him. When he snapped to his senses, he felt ashamed to realize he was standing on the stone hand of a giant Armstrong statue… complete with buldging muscles.

Both Roy and Riza both gaped a moment at the statue in disbelief and confusion. Armstrong however felt proud to create something both as beautiful and lifesaving as himself.

"Well… at least we found a way out," said Roy looking at the placement of the statue. He jumped out of the window onto the palm, landing next to Jericho; Next, jumped Riza and Armstrong onto the giant hand.

From there, they leaped onto the shoulder and walked down the left arm. Jericho recovered fully and leaped directly from the hand to the ground. This feat would have normally caused a normal man to yell in pain once he made contact with the ground, but Jericho was a fighter in good shape. The fall barely registered on his pain scale.

Riza, noticing an intact car, motioned for the others to follow. They all hoped in and she hotwired the car, slowly starting it and then revving the engine. She drove off, careful to avoid a collision with the debris of other cars littered in the streets.

Their destination: Risembool.

-To Be Continued -


	4. Somber Rescue

Chapter 4 – Risembool, ?? : ?? Hours

The car ride to Risembool was a bumpy and uncomfortable one. Along the way, more encounters with vampires had passed. They had easily dispatched them; however, it started to affect them how serious this issue was. At first, Roy and the others had just believed the village and Central were affected by the vampires, but as they neared the town of Risembool, they realized that they were wrong.

"Sir, we've arrived at Risembool station," said Riza, pulling the car to a stop near the wooden entrance of the train station.

Roy looked up at the signpost. Everything seemed normal. There was no chill in the air, no strange noises coming from the town, nothing but silence.

But it was the silence that made everyone uneasy.

Armstrong exited the car and took a look around. "It seems the town is deserted."

"That's what it always seems like" said Jericho getting out next. "Ever read horror novels Major?"

"No," replied Armstrong.

Jericho gave a halfhearted laugh. "Well in horror novels it's always the silence that seems normal, until the monsters jump out and attack you."

This notion of "ambush" struck a chord with the Major, who gave a worried look at the nearby houses. Roy noticed and reassured him.

"Don't worry Armstrong, let's just stick together and we'll be fine."

After Riza exited the black car, the group slowly headed into the "deserted" town, careful of any surprises that lay in wait; Jericho unsheathed a sword, Riza drew her pistol, Armstrong raised his fists, everyone, was ready.

Armstrong gazed around the town. The unmistakable smell of death lingered in the air. Even the very sky itself loomed in a dark, grey haze of clouds, as if the very heavens themselves had died.

No sounds were made as Roy led them to a white, two-story house off in the distance. The tall grass shook ever so slightly in the faint wind, suddenly sending a chill up Jericho's spine.

"Something's in the grass…" he said quietly, eyeing the tall swaying patches of green.

Roy, not hesitating to pass it by, stepped forward and looked around, his finger ready to snap. Suddenly, the ground around them shook and giant hands of stone reached out, grabbing them and holding them all firmly in their earthen grip.

"What in blazes?!" yelled Jericho as he tried slashing at the rocks.

A figure dashed out of the grass, creating a bright blue flash, a shine only seen from a transmutation. Roy recognized and shouted out, "Edward, it's us!"

The small figure stopped suddenly and stood in the grass. Edward Elric, a young man with long golden colored hair, braided behind him, and wearing a long red coat stared at the group. He seemed very startled, his right auto-mail arm, transmuted into a blade, had stains of blood on it.

"You…" was all he said, his eyes darting from the Colonel, to Riza, then to the others.

He slapped his hands together and touched the ground, the stone hands that bound the military group withered away into sand and faded into the ground, freeing them.

Roy dusted off his coat and stood straight as he looked at Ed. "Are you alright Full Metal?" his question and tone becoming formal again.

"I'm fine Colonel" he replied bitterly. After transmuting his right arm back to normal he walked into the bushes and opened up a trapdoor. "Al, it's safe to come out now."

Emerging from the hole, came Ed's tall, armor clad brother, Alphonse Elric. Lacking a body, Al's soul was transmuted directly into a suit of armor, making him strong and durable, but in the end, he was still a scared and vulnerable 14 year old kid.

"Colonel Mustang, Major Armstrong, Lt Hawkeye! You came!" he shouted in relief as he saw the group. Jericho muttered under his breath at the lack of acknowledgment for himself.

"Of course we came. We couldn't leave you two boys alone without any help" replied Armstrong.

"And with the dangers lurking around here, we though it urgent to seek you out," added Riza, looking around to see if it was safe.

"Tch, of course... you can't afford to let a valuable military dog get cut off his leash," muttered Ed.

Roy heard his remark but said nothing. Instead he looked at the nearby house.

"Is anyone inside the house?"

Before anyone could answer Jericho let out a scream.

"My... my sword!"

Everyone looked at him and he was holding one of his kattanas, which had a long scratch down the side of the blade. Ed noticed and shrugged.

"Guess my stone hands might have scuffed it".

"S-scuffed?!" yelled Jericho. "You damaged my sword! My precious sword!"

He clung to it as if it were a small child, silently weeping at the damage done to it. Roy shook his head and looked at Al.

"Anyway... is there anyone in the house?"

Al looked at the house and thought.

"Well Winry and Aunt Pinako are hiding in the basement... But..."

He suddenly went silent, gasping for a second. The next moment he rushed for the house. Ed saw and dashed after him. "Al, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Winry and Aunt Pinako might be in danger! Those creatures went into the house while we were hiding!"

Riza saw Al run into the house and rushed after him. "Alphonse don't be foolish!"

Roy and Ed followed them inside. The house looked ransacked, as if someone was searching for something. Riza was looking around, her pistol withdrawn, keeping an eye out for an ambush.

Al walked into the kitchen and stopped. "Winry? Is that you?"

Huddled under a cabinet was the young blond-haired girl. The sides of her white overalls were stained with blood. Ed rushed into the kitchen and noticed her.

"Winry.... are you okay?"

As he started walking towards her she fell out of the cabinet. She was partially covered in blood causing Ed's eyes to widen. He was about to rush over to her when Roy ran into the kitchen.

"No Ed, stay back!"

Before he could react, Winry leaped up and tackled Ed, her eyes blood red and her fangs extended. She aimed for his neck, but Ed blocked her with his automail arm, thrusting it against her collar.

"Damnit... even Winry's become one of those things?!" he yelled, trying to push her off of him.

Winry screeched his name, aiming her fangs closer to him, but before she could get any closer Ed thrusted his metal leg into her gut, knocking her off of him.

She slammed into the side cabinet as Ed struggled back to his feet. As she tried to get up she became immediately engulfed in flames. Roy had snapped his fingers the moment she was away from Ed, making sure not to burn the boy.

She howled in pain as the flames burned her body and young Al looked away in horror. His elder brother also turned away, not wanting to see the gruesome sight. Riza rushed into the kitchen at the noises and lowered her gun seeing the threat was gone.

"Was that Miss Rockbell?" she asked.

Roy nodded. "She became one of them..."

Winry's howling started to die out as her body became reduced to ashes, the super hot flames caused by Roy's alchemy incinerating her entire form.

Al couldn't bear to look and Ed only glanced at the site of his former friend. Roy clutched his fist. How ironic that it would be him to kill Winry Rockbell... the daughter of the very same Rockbells he murdered in the Isballan war.

The thoughts struck a chord with him and he remained silent for a moment.

".... Colonel? Col. Mustang, sir?"

He snapped out of it and looked behind him at his subordinate, Riza Hawkeye. She knew why her superior froze as he did. She remembered hearing how he was ordered to kill the Rockbells in cold blood. Despite the necessity of it, he must resent his actions even now.

"Sir, we should get out of here."

Nodding, the flame alchemist strode out of the kitchen, Riza close behind him. Ed stood, his back turned against the remains of his former friend. He walked over to Al who was huddled near the wall.

"Come on Al... let's go."

Al didn't speak. He couldn't believe what had just happened. His childhood friend had just been reduced to burning cinders by Roy, and his old foster parent might be dead. If he could cry, he would...

"Al?" Said Ed softly.

"Brother... what's happening?" Al replied in a shaken tone.

Ed wasn't sure how to answer back. Only a few days ago did things really start getting strange. Outsiders started arriving at the village, something that rarely happened. As they did, people went missing. People started getting suspicious, but they didn't have the time to act as they too went missing.

Yesterday is when things went from bad to worse. Yesterday was the day that the "creatures" came.

"I... I don't know what's happening Al..." Ed finally said.

"She's dead..." the younger Elric whispered causing Ed to look at him again. "Winry's dead..."

"There's nothing we could have done Al! We-"

"There IS something we could have done Ed!" interrupted Al, causing Ed to take a step back.

"We could have stayed... we could have fought them off!"

"And then what Alphonse?" yelled Ed. "Get ourselves turned into those... things?!"

Al went silent, just looking at his older brother.

"Listen Al... I didn't want any of this to happen, but we ain't got a choice." He took a glance at the ashes of Winry, then looked back at Al. "But we have to move on. It's what they'd want."

A silence fell between the two. Al stood and walked to the door not saying a word and Ed followed behind them. Outside, the others were waiting for the brothers. Jericho was busy fixing his sword and Riza was checking over her pistol.

Ed trudged over to the group. "Alright... we're ready to go."

Nodding, Roy turned and led the group back to the car. They were all quiet as they walked, not saying a word about anything that had happened. Jericho looked around as they passed the empty houses. He had an eerie sensation... as if they were being watched.

"Hey," said Jericho, "I think we're being watched..."

The group looked around, taking his words carefully into account. Riza scanned the houses, her pistol raised and ready as Roy readied himself with his fingers. Ed also prepared to transmute his arm if necessary.

Sure enough, a group of figures shot out of the darkness of the houses and leaped at the defensive group of alchemists. Armstrong thrusted his fist into the ground and created spikes that shot up and impaled the vampires and injured some more. Roy burned the rest with a few quick snaps of his fingers making sure they wouldn't get up again. Riza led the boys to the waiting car; however, the car was surrounded by a group of vampire creatures.

Riza fired her pistol at them but they shook off the rounds unfazed. Jericho ran past her, his swords unsheathed.

"Leave it to me!" he yelled, transmuting his blades, making them more rounded and sharper. He impaled the first vampire and slashed the other in half. Roy and Armstrong quickly followed Riza and the Elric brothers to the car as the path was clear.

Riza got in and started the car. Roy got in the passengers seat with Jericho, Al, and Ed getting in the back.

Armstrong didn't get in the car.

"Major, quickly, get inside!" yelled Riza, oblivious to the lack of space left in the small car.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant... but I can't come with you."

More vampire creatures started coming out of the town, all heading towards the car. The Graceful Fist alchemist turned and faced the hoard of monsters trying to advance.

"In the name of the Armstrong family name, I, Major Alex Louise Armstrong, shall hereby protect you as you all escape to safety!"

Ed attempted to argue but Jericho held him back, shaking his head at him in a silent "don't". Riza didn't react for a moment, but then thrust her foot onto the accelerato0r, peeling out and sending the car racing away from the approaching danger.

Some vampires tried to take flight and pursue, but Armstrong was quick to catch them, shooting them down with a few stone spikes. He readied himself to attack the others, his bravado and suave actions his greatest weapons.

Meanwhile the car was pulling a great distance away from the fight. Ed turned around in his seat to look back and yelled at Roy.

"Are we just going to leave him behind like that?!"

"We have no choice Ed. He chose to stay behind so that we may escape," replied Riza. Neither she nor the Colonel enjoyed the fact of leaving one of their own behind and in such dangers, but as she said, it was for a greater cause.

"Damnit." growled Ed in frustration as he slumped down in his seat. "First these vampire things attack us, then Winry turns into one of them, and now we leave the Major behind... what next?!"

"Don't say such things Ed," said Roy not looking back at the boy. "None of us wanted any of these painful events to happen. All we can do is hold out and wait for things to pass."

"But Colonel," started Al, but he didn't finish, the memory of his fallen friends still fresh in his mind. Both he and his older brother had gone through a traumatic experience equivalent only to that of brining their mother back using Alchemy.

As the car continued down the beaten dirt path, all the passengers remained silent. Riza was driving to the last known place where they could seek refuge: a special emergency bunker designed for refugees in case of war. It was heavily protected and should still be safe.

And for all of them, it was their last hope.

-To Be Continued...-


	5. Dark Shelter

1

Chapter 5: Southeast of Central: ?? : ?? Hours

The clouds overhead never once parted along the entire car ride out of Risembool. The five passengers rarely spoke, except for updates on what had transpired over the three days. Only yesterday did the events of Central take place, but for the Elric brothers, it had happened three days prior. So the real question on everyone's minds was: when did these "vampire" attacks really start happening, and why?

From what Roy heard Archer mention, it was for a war, but what kind of war was he talking about? True, there were rumors of a possible campaign in the town of Lior, but those were just what they were: "rumors".

No one knew the truth, and they didn't know if they ever would. All they knew was that they were headed to the last place known that was safe, an underground bunker located a few miles south of Central. This bunker and safe house was perfect for the kind of situation they were in. The problem they were all worried about, was what if the bunker had been overrun as well?

They pushed the thoughts aside as they saw their destination in the distance. It looked like an ordinary house, abandoned and aged with time, but it held a secret found in its basement. This led to the bunker, hidden deep under the Earth's surface.

"We've reached our destination sir," said Riza, pulling to a stop near the house.

Roy and the others got out of the car rather quickly and approached the house. Ed looked at it and looked around. There was no yard except for patches of dead grass and weeds. Dead vines hung along the walls of the house and the windows were broken. It seemed like the perfect hiding spot... Or was it a trap?

Jericho wondered the same as his hand ran over the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at a seconds notice. Riza also kept her hand over her holster, ready to draw and fire if the need arose.

She led them all to the basement, escorting them through the old and dilapidated house, it's wooden floors cracked and rotten, ready to break at the slightest misstep. Ed nearly made this mistake as a piece of flooring gave way underneath him, causing him to grab his brother to prevent him from falling to the floor underneath.

The house, built with one floor above ground and a floor under was strange in its conception, but when you knew that under it all was a safe haven of sorts, it made sense.

Standing in front of a large opening, covered by wooden doors, Riza stepped forward and pushed a secret button shaped in the stone wall next to it. An echoing noise came from behind the door along with the sound of several things being unlocked.

Roy walked up and opened the large doors, revealing a large tunnel that seemed endless. Ed looked down into the tunnel and turned to yell at the Colonel.

"We're supposed to walk the entire way? How deep is this bunker?!"

"It's not as far as it looks Ed," said Roy cooly as he walked into the tunnel.

Riza was close behind him along with Jericho. Ed, mocking Roy's answer, followed the others along with Al. The tunnel was dimly lit with a trail of lights leading down into it's depths. They walked for what seemed like hours down and down deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Ed was getting tired of walking.

"How much longer do we have to go?" he groaned.

"Not much longer" said Roy.

"Well it seems like we've been walking for hours," complained Jericho.

"Yeah," agreed Ed, "My feet are killing me."

"Oh really?" Roy said, smirking. "How can that be if you only have on real foot?"

Ed snapped at the snide comment made by his superior and yelled back at him. "That was uncalled for you bastard!"

"Settle down everyone," interrupted Riza, "We're here".

Everyone looked at what seemed like a large metal door. An eye hole located near its center opened and someone looked at then, questioning who they were.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist," replied Roy. "The rest are with me. We'll all clear."

The eye hole closed and the sound of latches being released could be heard on the other side. The metal door opened and the group was momentarily blinded by a bright light. After their eyes adjusted, few could believe the sight in front of them.

The inside of the bunker appeared more like a city then a refugee camp. As far as they could see were houses, nicely made, though small in design. There was a church, a market, and in the distance, what could be made out as a farm. They all walked in and were greeted by some military members.

"My name is Major James Shibana, State Military Police. Welcome to Central II."

Roy thanked the young Major and looked around. "Seems there are quite a few people here Major."

The young officer nodded. "Yes. We evacuated the major cities after Central fell. We were lucky to get this many, but..."

He paused suddenly. Mustang, realizing what he meant, nodded silently at him. Ed and Al walked in and were met by some other military officials. Jericho looked around, hoping to see his brother among the officers, but didn't. However he recognized someone else.

"So... you're on guard duty now Ken?"

A young officer turned around at Jericho's remark. He looked like James, but with a few differences, most notably his brown hair.

"Jericho Stars..." replied the annoyed officer, "and here I was hoping you'd disappeared."

Jericho smirked at his response and walked over to him. "Nope, I'm still very much alive."

Colonel Ken Shibana, younger brother to Major James Shibana, was a hot headed, fight loving, ruffian of an alchemist, who always seemed to get into arguments. Ken was known as the "Stone-Fist Alchemist", and Lt. Jericho stars happened to be his rival, despite his lower rank. The two, in fact, had more in common than they let on.

Riza saw the beginnings of a fight and walked over. "Now, now... Let's not fight men."

Jericho and Ken saw her and turned away from each other. As Riza walked away however Ken stared at her rear. He found the older Lieutenant to be attractive, and figured he try his hand at courting her in all this disaster. After all, in Ken's mind, nothing makes a girl more desperate than a perilous event such as what was happening.

Though what Ken was unaware of, was the fact that Riza Hawkeye was not that kind of woman; though only Ken was ignorant enough to not know that.

Ed and Al proceeded to walk through the small town that was built under what seemed like miles of Earth. Roy and Riza followed close behind them, also looking around. Both had heard of the special bunker, but neither had imagined it to be as large as this. One could possibly live here it seemed.

"Hey, what's that?" Al asked.

"What's what?" said Roy, walking up to him.

Al pointed to the ceiling, located far above the city. When Mustang looked, he saw a large transmutation circle stretching almost as far as the ceiling was. It didn't seem out of the ordinary, but when he observed it more, he noticed that none of the points connected.

"That would be a reverse transmutation marker," explained Riza.

The other three looked at her inquisitively. She noticed their clueless faces and further explained.

"It is made to prevent the performance of alchemy in certain environments. The disconnected markings prevent a true flow of energy needed to perform a transmutation. Therefore, it acts as a continuous transmutation process, preventing any other alchemic activity to exist."

Ed stared up at it. "How do you know all of this Lieutenant?"

"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing," added Roy.

"It's because I have to make sure such information is ready for when it's needed," she replied. Then, she turned to Roy. "Also, you would know as much as I do sir, if you paid attention to your paperwork once in awhile."

The two alchemists remained silent, one in awe, the other in shame. Al was also impressed with Lt. Hawkeye's knowledge, but before any of them could speak, something tackled Ed to the ground.

"It's you! It's you! I can't believe it!"

"What the hell?!" Ed yelled as he struggled to turn around.

He looked straight into the face of a young teenage woman with glasses a brown/blond hair. She was hugging him so tight he could barely breathe. Al was confused at the sight and wasn't certain how to react. Meanwhile Ed was busy trying to pry her off.

"Hey! I... can't... breath!"

"Oh!" The girl let go and immediately backed away. "I'm sorry!"

Ed regained his breath and looked at her. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Her name is Chie Shinadara, and she's your biggest admirer."

Ed and the girl looked over at the person who spoke. It was a man with tanned skin and orange glasses. His short brown hair was neatly combed and he wore a state military uniform. Al noticed that he wore armbands that medics had, but in the center, there was a transmutation circle.

"My name is Dr. Antonio Mersad," he said politely, "The Healing Alchemist."

"Antonio!" yelled the young girl, "It's him! It's Edward Elric!"

Ed looked at the two and scooted away. "Um... well it's nice meeting fans." he said hesitantly.

The girl named Chie was about to leap on him again when another girl appeared behind her, grabbing the back of her shirt.

"Oh no Chie, you're not suffocating him again."

Ed looked at the other girl. She had black hair and wore dark clothing. She looked tough and somewhat similar to Dr. Mersad.

"It's good that you arrived, Tytara," said Antonio with a laugh. "I was afraid I'd have to drag Chie home myself."

"Home? No!" argued Chie. "I just met Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist!"

"Hey... come to think of it," interrupted Ed, "Where are Al and I gonna stay? I mean, do we have a house arranged or some-"

Before he could finish Chie broke free and hugged him again.

"You could stay with me my Edward!" she exclaimed happily. "You could have my room, hell, even my bed!"

Tytara stepped forward and pulled her off. "He ain't stayin' with you, now come on!"

"NOOO!" she yelled as the older girl dragged her away. "I hate you Ty! Don't drag me away! No!"

Ed just sat on the ground watching the scene play out before him. He wasn't even sure what to say after what just happened. Antonio ended up speaking for him.

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Elric," he said offering him a hand. "She's just a tad bit obsessed with you."

"Gee, I kinda noticed," he said back as he took his hand, standing straight.

Antonio noticed the hand his was gripping wasn't flesh and his questions were answered.

"So that's why they call you Fullmetal then... you have automail."

"Huh?" said Ed looking up at him. "Hey... how'd you know that?"

"Simple, I could tell by your hand," he replied. "Even with that glove you're wearing, I can tell these sorts of things. I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I didn't," he added with a grin.

Al laughed. "You seem to have Ed figured out Doctor."

"As if," scoffed Ed.

Antonio smiled at them, and then turned to salute Roy.

"Good evening Colonel. It's been awhile."

"Indeed it has Doctor," said Roy as he returned the salute.

"You know each other?" said Ed surprised.

"Of course we do," answered Antonio, "He's my supervisor."

Ed and Al were both stunned at the statement. Then again, why should they be? Colonel Roy Mustang must have other alchemists under his command, right? Though, it still surprised them to see Antonio answering to Roy.

"So," started Ed, grinning at the two, "You're Roy's lapdog as well, huh?"

"What?" said Antonio confused.

"Shut up Edward!" yelled Roy.

The young alchemist laughed at the anger his superior gave. Antonio finally understood and looked at Roy.

"Oh... I see. So Mr. Elric must be under your command as well."

Roy nodded and glared at Ed. "Although he rarely obeys orders."

"That's cause I'm not some fido who sits and rolls over on command!" he spat back.

Sensing the sudden hostility between the two Antonio backed off.

"Well... I should be heading home now." he said, "It's been nice meeting you Mr. Elric."

He saluted them and walked away, heading down one of the streets. Al stepped between his elder brother and Colonel Mustang, hoping to prevent a fight. The two just glared at each other, but didn't say a word. Riza ended up being the one to end their silence.

"Sir, we should head to the HQ."

Roy, finally taking notice to the task at hand, nodded.

"Come on Edward, the sooner we head to the shelter's headquarters the sooner we can find a place to stay."

For once, Ed agreed with the Colonel and him, Al, and Riza followed. The all were tired from the day's events. None had noticed that Jericho had already left, gone his own way after his encounter with the Stone-Fist Alchemist. The remaining four in the group all looked forward to a well night's sleep, especially after the harrowing events that had transpired early in the day.

But as Roy Mustang should know, the serenity of peace never lasts as long as one wants...

-To Be Continued.


End file.
